Makenzie HuberSioux Falls Argus LeaderView
Five years ago, Lisa Esser was focused on starting a food truck with her husband.
Now, she’s expanding to her second restaurant location just two years after opening Papa Woody’s Wood Fire Pizza in the Jones421 building.
But they aren’t moving far – just down the street at 775 N. Phillips Ave. in the Cascades building.
They’re adding five times the space, transitioning into a full-service restaurant and are going to expand their menu to include more sandwiches and potentially pasta, Esser said. They’re even planning to add a liquor license with a full bar and will have a wrap around porch at their new location.
But it’s still the same food truck that Sioux Falls accepted with open arms and hungry stomachs, Esser said, adding that it’ll be a good family atmosphere.
“We want people to still know it’s Papa Woody’s – same pizza oven, same open concept kitchen, same colors from food truck,” Esser said. “It’s still going to be Papa Woody’s you’ve grown to love. We’re just going to make it bigger.”
Esser is aiming to open in late summer 2021. They’ll stay open out of the Jones421 space for as long as they can, and will operate their food truck street-side if the former location is closed before their new restaurant opens.
Despite a rough 2020, where Esser and her husband, Steve Esser, sometimes thought they’d have to close up shop, the restaurant needed to expand because of a growing demand for their food. They also won the 2021 Burger Battle.
“After the year that everybody has had, especially being a restaurant it’s fun to be expanding than closing our doors,” Esser said. “We didn’t want to move out of downtown. We love where we’re at and the community has really treated us well.”
The plan is to be open daily depending on staffing and serve dinner until 9 p.m. for those coming by after Levitt concerts or other downtown events, with the bar staying open until midnight.
